Horse-collar.



Np. 890,478. I PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908. R. W. W'HITSELL & C. B. WARD.

HORSE COLLAR.

APPLIOATION FILED-JUNE 29, 19 07.

2 39mm v yaw/g4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT W. WHITSELL AND CHARLES B. WARD, OF PALISADE, NEBRASKA.

HORSE-COLLAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

Application filed. June 29, 1907. Serial No. 381,464.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT W. WHIT- sELL and CHARLES B. WARD, citizens of the United States, residing at Palisade, in the county of Hitchcock and State of Nebraska, have invented new and useful Im rovements in Horse-Collars, of which the ollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a horse collar and more particularly to a reinforcing attachment to be applied thereto for preventing the collar from breaking at the bottom or breast portion. I

The invention has for one of its objects to provlde an attachment or reinforce of the character referred to that is ada ted to be applied to the hames-engaging rol of the collar. At the breast portion of the latter, the said attachment being preferably of spring metal so as to permit the collar to be readily opened for placing it on or taking it off the horse. In this connection, it may be remarked that in manipulating a collar, it is the common practice to take hold of one side of the collar and allow the other to hang loosely while placing the collar on or taking it off the horse, and the weight of the loose side of the collar has a destructive effect at the neck portion, tearing the padding and stitching, thereby rendering the collar useless. With the reinforce attachment above referred to, this dilficulty is effectively overcome.

A further object of the invention is to provide a reinforce composed preferably of a single piece of metal possessing resiliency so as to constitute a spring, the reinforce having spring clip portions that are adapted to be gri ped over the hames-engaging roll of the collar when the reinforce is used as an attachment or adapted to be embedded in the said roll when the reinforce is used as a permanent art of the collar and incorporated in the fatter during the manufacturing thereof.

With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described ereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates certain embodiments of the invention, Figure 1 is a front view of a collar showing the reinforcing device attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front view of the reinforcing device detached. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 44, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a front view of a collar manufactured with the reinforcing device as a part thereof. Fig. 6 is a section on line 66, Fig. 5.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a horse collar of ordinary construction to which is applied the reinforcing device designated generally by B. This device preferably comprises a single piece of resilient metal that is bent in the form of a U to correspond to the breast portion of the hames-engaging roll 1 of the collar, and more specifically is composed of a metal strip 2 of approximately semi-circular form and of curved cross-section, the ends of the strip being enlarged into spring clips 3 that are adapted to be engaged over the roll 1 of the collar and at the center of the strip is another spring clip 4 also for engaging the said roll. At the central clip 1 is an apertured lug 5 that serves to receive a fastening such as a rivet 6 for securing the attachment to the collar, as shown in Fig. 1 and holding the same centrally thereon. At the terminal clips 3 are laterally-extending lugs 7 that bear against the front side of the shoulder portions 8 of the collar and cooperate to hold the attachment in place. In the opening of the collar for applying it to a horse or taking it off, the portions of the attachment between the end and central clips can be flexed without, however, permitting the collar to be opened to such a point as to break the breast ortion thereof.

The attachments are manufactured preferably in the form shown in Fig. 3, so that they can be applied to horse collars already in use, but if it is desired to incorporate the reinforcing devices in the collars during manufacturing, these attachments can be employed in the manner shown in Figs. 5 and 6, it being merely necessary to turn the lugs or ends of the clips inwardly so as to form a circle to correspond With the shape of the roll of the collar.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of operationofthe inizention,

central roll-engaging clips, and bendable lugs on the strip adapted to be turned inwardly to meet'the ends of the clips or outwardly in the I opposite direction from the clips.

In testimony whereof, we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

'ROBERT. W. WHITSELL.

CHAS. B. WARD.

Witnesses:

CHAS. J. WILooX, O. W. RICHARDSON. 

